Zetts gets start for YSU
The season opener for Youngstown State football is just more than a week away -- 10 days to be exact -- and the Penguins know who their starting quarterback is going to be on Sept. 2 against Slippery Rock.
Tom Zetts, the redshirt freshman from Boardman, won the job in the spring and hasn't done anything to lose it during fall camp.
The Penguins are in class today, the first day of school, and Zetts excels just as well in the classroom as he does on the football field. He carried a 4.0 grade point average last year.
The difference between Zetts and junior Aaron Marshall, who had been the team's starter for most of the past two seasons, is consistency.
Marshall was inconsistent in his last two seasons -- one good game, one bad one.
YSU's quarterback coach Brian Wright says that Zetts is totally focused on what he has to do.
"I've never seen a player as focused as Tom," Wright said. "When he makes a mistake, he knows it before anybody has to tell him and he rarely makes it twice."
Zetts (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) spends countless hours in the film room watching his practices and the opposition.
Marshall and freshman redshirt transfer Vince Gliatta are in a battle for the backup role.
"I thought Aaron had a really good jersey scrimmage," Wright said. "They are all working very hard."
Just how Zetts feels about his starting role will remain a mystery for now because he has been off limits to the area media.
Coach Jon Heacock feels there is no reason to put added pressure on the youngster, although anyone who knows Zetts knows that he can handle just about any situation with the media.
So for now it will remain a mystery.
Old scoreboard appears dead
Anyone who was at last Tuesday's jersey scrimmage at Stambaugh Stadium -- and there was a pretty good turnout -- saw what appeared to be the final gasp of life from the old scoreboard.
Halfway through the scrimmage the board blew and until it was shut down it sounded like an air-raid warning.
YSU athletic director Ron Strollo has said repeatedly that the new scoreboard will be in place for the season opener.
According to Strollo, the new board is sitting on a loading dock in Pittsburgh until the final contracts are signed.
He said it can be here in less than a day and has been told by the company who installs it that it only takes one day to be erected.
Strollo said that only half of the board will be operable for the opener. The new video board won't be up and running until the third game of the year, against Liberty on Sept. 25.
Keep your fingers crossed.
Hannon, Hartzell return
It comes as no surprise that YSU football games again will be broadcast live over WNIO-AM (1390) and WBBG-FM (106.1) this season.
The games will be covered WYTV sports director Bob Hannon and Dick Hartzell while Chad Krispinsky will handle the sideline duties.
Hannon has been doing play-by-play for more than a decade and Hartzell, who handles the color commentary, begins his third season in the booth.
A new feature this season will include the "YMCA Fifth Quarter Show," which will follow each home game, hosted by Krispinsky. It will air live from the DeBartolo Stadium Club and will feature YSU assistant coaches and players. All loge holders are invited to attend.
The "Penguin Playbook" radio show, featuring Hannon and Heacock, will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m., beginning Aug. 31 over WNIO. The broadcasts will originate from the Avalon Gardens, 1719 Belmont Ave.
Penguins on TV
All of the Penguins home games will be televised on a tape-delayed basis over FOX 17/62 with WKBN sports director Rob Schmidt handling all the play-by-play.
Todd Kollar, a former YSU All-American offensive tackle, will join Schmidt in the booth as color analyst.
Don't forget the weekly football press conferences every Tuesday at noon at the DeBartolo Stadium Club.
These events are open to the public and reservations may be made by contacting the YSU sports information department at (330) 941-3192. The first one will be on Aug. 31.
XPete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.